Clover tennis coach lauds team commitment

First-year Clover High School girls’ tennis coach Laurens Hargett likes what she has seen since assuming her new title.

“I’ve got a great group of girls,” she said. “They’ve been working hard.”

Hargett has embraced the team in a rebuilding year for the Lady Blue Eagles. “We lost four of five starters from last year, with one of our singles players returning,” she said. “We’re working on stepping up to the plate.”

Hargett said she didn’t know she would be the new tennis coach until the beginning of May.

“Once I knew, starting in May, we have worked as hard as we could every opportunity we’ve had,” she said. “We’ve gotten a lot done in a small amount of time. I’m pretty proud of the players.”

Hargett has long been a tennis competitor, including playing in high school at Northwestern and Charlotte Country Day.

“I’ve done a lot of assistant coaching,” she said. “My mom and dad are tennis players. We are a tennis family.”

She lauded the players for responding to the challenge of a new coach and a new season.

“The kids are incredibly dedicated, hard-working, driven and committed,” said Hargett. “I couldn’t ask for a better group of girls with the competitiveness and willingness to fight their way through every single match.”

Having played at Northwestern, Hargett knows Region 3-AAAA is a strong tennis region.

“I’m looking forward to the competition,” she said. “That’s what motivates you to get better. We want to be competitive and we want to face good competition; that’s what makes it fun.”

Clover’s No. 1 singles player, Grace Miller, who played No. 3 last year, embraces her new position and feels good about the team’s potential this season.

“I played tennis during the offseason,” she said.

Miller continues to spend the time it takes to compete in every phase of the game. “I feel comfortable with my serve at the present time,” she said. “It’s gotten a lot stronger since last year. I try to get my first serve in.”

Miller picked up her first tennis racket at age 3 and began playing high school tennis in the seventh grade.

“We have a very good team and a new coach,” Miller said. “I feel like we’re gonna have a really good season.”

This story was originally published September 1, 2015 at 11:12 AM with the headline "Clover tennis coach lauds team commitment."